How Can Parents Honor Carlos Yulo’s Olympic Success Beyond Social Media?

Days after Carlos Edriel “Caloy” Yulo’s historic win in Paris 2024 Olympics, social media is still abuzz with celebratory posts from Filipinos all over the world. And why not? It was a triumph of many firsts, including him being the first male Olympic gold medalist in the country, and first double gold Olympian in Philippine sports history.

He definitely deserves the spotlight, but a win that’s one for the books shouldn’t just stay in social media timelines nor in textbook pages. The lessons from his journey to the top needs to be lived out. Read on to know how parents can – and should – honor his Olympic success beyond the post and share buttons.

At 7 years old, young Caloy expends his energy through tumbling and cartwheeling. There’s nothing extraordinary about it, until his grandfather Rodrigo spotted a skill which would later on become a starting point of a triumphant Olympic tale.

In this humble beginning is a strong reminder to parents: it’s not enough that we see our kids’ talents and skills – it matters how we view them. We can always say our kids are good in singing or dancing or playing a sport, and completely brush it off the next day. To recognize their talents and skills to the point of ushering them – just like how Caloy’s grandfather brought him to the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines to train – is to understand that there’s more to these than meets the eye.

At 12 years old, Caloy dreamt of bringing home an Olympic gold medal for the Philippines. To an adult, it may have sounded like a naïve blurt out from an innocent kid, but it was a sincere promise to himself as much as it is a promise to his home country.

Caloy was not born to a rich family, but people – his grandfather included – saw his dreams as worth investing in. Financial constraints may put a lid to many Filipino kids’ dreams, but money is not the only tool for investing. Another important factor that makes an investment a success is time – to get to know what kids really want, to research and find ways on how to help them progress, to look for schools, clinics, and training centers where they can hone their skills, and to be with them in their long hours of training.

This young Olympian’s story involved a lot of people who spent time and resources in making sure a young boy’s dream will be realized.

At 16 years old, Caloy moved to Japan to train gymnastics under his coach Munehiro Kugimiya. In the name of his childhood dream, he had to leave everything familiar and comfortable in the Philippines.

If only parents could always keep their kids in their homes and within their reach, they would do it. But it would not allow their kids to spread their wings the way they’re meant to.

This goes to show that investing in kids’ dreams also means putting in mental and emotional investments: believing in them and boosting their morale – physical distance and personal sentiments notwithstanding.

At 21 years old, Caloy competed in Tokyo 2020 Olympics where he finished out of the medal round. He used this heartbreaking experience as a stepping stone that eventually led him to a groundbreaking performance at the Paris Olympics.

He could point fingers, blame trainers and coaches, or pity himself in the face of his contemporaries. But his response to the situation was none of those. Instead, in an interview in March 2022, he said what would now be one of his most widely-quoted line: “I realized that your greatest opponent is yourself.”

When parents invest in their kids’ dreams, it doesn’t only mean standing by them in moments of triumph. It also means building their kids up to face challenges, adversities, failures, and losses, and making them understand that these are temporary; these are hurdles, and not dead ends.

Character is as important as every physical training. It will keep kids going and will bring them to their desired destination.

At 24 years old, Caloy finally saw his 12-year-old self’s dream fulfilled when bagged two Olympic Gold Medals from Artistic Gymnastics event in Paris 2024 – one from men’s floor exercise and another from men’s vault. It’s a win for Filipino gymnasts who don’t get as much limelight, a win for a country which spirits are down from the wrath of a recent typhoon, and a win for every Filipino child who dreams big dreams.

His historic Olympics win is undoubtedly a big win, but there are many small wins from the moment young Caloy started training to the day he finally stood at the Olympic podium to receive his first and second gold. These include training hard for another day, signing up for another competition, and getting back up after unfavorable competition results.

As Caloy’s story is continuously being shared on social media, may we parents be reminded of the kids in front of us, whose success stories are currently being written. They have all the potential to make a name for themselves. Let’s spot the talent, start them young, and cheer them on. This is how we can live out Caloy’s historic Olympic win everyday.

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